The present invention relates to an MSM actuator system.
It is assumed to be known per se from the prior art to use magnetic shape memory (MSM) alloy materials to realise actuators or similar control elements. Actually, actuators of this type exploit the effect that the shape memory material (also: shape memory alloy material) experiences an expansion as a reaction to an applied magnetic field and thereupon a control partner interacting with this expansion unit executes a corresponding control reaction. It is conventional in this context to assign coil means in the form of a coil device to the magnetic shape memory material of such an expansion unit, which coil device generates the magnetic field required for expanding the expansion unit as a reaction to a current feed. To instruct a typically elongated MSM body as expansion unit to execute the expansion movement along the longitudinal axis (an expansion hub is typically of the order of magnitude of approx. 5% of such a longitudinal extent), the contribution of a coil magnetic flux perpendicular thereto is necessary, which makes it necessary that the electromagnetic flux generated by the current feed of the coil means is brought to the expansion unit with the aid of magnetic-flux conduction means.
Design challenges relating to this are for example discussed in the applicant's DE 10 2010 010 801, technical solutions also being shown, so as to allow actuators of the presently discussed type to be realised as compactly as possible.
At the same time, MSM-based actuator technology also has economic disadvantages, not least owing to the discussed design conditions and the expensive MSM materials, compared to electromagnetic actuators for example, so that particularly with regards to a wider penetration of MSM actuator technology in the market, there is still a requirement for an increase in production and installation efficiency, particularly with regards to a multiplicity of different deployment contexts for such a control technology. In this respect, it has hitherto been the case that for a desired control purpose (that is to say for example a control hub to be provided with a control force to be achieved, in a geometric installation space) a concrete single solution with a suitably dimensioned MSM expansion unit and assigned coil and flux conduction means must be designed. Implementations for low-volume production are therefore often already uneconomical for these design reasons.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to create an SMS actuator system, which can easily be adapted to various control tasks or use contexts with little production, installation and implementation outlay, can be handled and extended universally and flexibly and equally has beneficial magnetic power development and control characteristics.